


rivals

by leviadrache



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6155506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leviadrache/pseuds/leviadrache
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Close enough to cut your hair, to be precise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	rivals

**Author's Note:**

> written for my dear friend snips !

Rin likes to be straight with things. It doesn't make sense why some people would spend days and months chatting about this and that, but avoid saying what's truly on their mind. Why they bothered to make up stories and end up hurting people with those lies when they could just be honest and hurt people with the truth.

In the end, she thinks, people are just too boring, too weak. They were stuck with masks they put on themselves, mask they were too afraid to remove, because they were too afraid to show their true selves. Some might call that a noble struggle, but to Rin, it was nothing but ridiculous. Pretty hair and a nice smile can't hide your true self from everyone. Even if you put up a front good enough to fool everyone around you, it's still far from perfect, because you, you yourself, could still see past it.

And really, where's the point in something that does nothing but restrict yourself?

It's what bothers her about Mamoru's sister, because Mamoru's sister is so good and pretty and gentle and –

Disgusting.

Someone this good just can't be real. It's not that Rin pays much attention to Tokoha's fights, just happens to be there when Shouma watches them, but she sees enough to come to that conclusion. Anjou Tokoha is really disgusting.

The reckless front she puts up effortlessly. A cute girl who only does what she enjoys. Exactly what people love to see.

Only that some of her actions don't fit that image. She clings too much, seems to care too much and gets too carried away. It's not exactly unsightly. Rin thinks it's funny how the media calls her "the flower idol", how people claim "she's what every girl wants to be".

They don't see the way Tokoha clenches her teeth when the fight gets hard for her, don't see the way she glares when her opponents get a Critical Trigger, don't see what makes Anjou Tokoha really interesting.

Being cute is one of her masks, Rin concludes. It's what Tokoha thinks people want her to be (the good girl from next door, a friendly classmate, the sweet younger sister), but it's not what Tokoha is. Which really isn't that interesting on its own. People putting on masks is nothing new, not to Rin, but it's how Tokoha deals with it.

Because, despite the cheerful cute girl attitude she keeps up, Tokoha doesn't bother to step out of that image. She cries ugly tears, gets too reckless, tends to get quite pathetic in general.

But how, just how, a kid like her was able to defeat someone like Rin, that's what truly makes her interesting. What makes it worth to think about her for longer than three seconds. Because Tokoha, like everyone else, has many different faces and ways to act and speak and Rin. Rin wants to see them all. To finally figure out the riddle that hides inside Anjou Mamoru's sister, to finally get over and then rid of her, once and for all.

Because to Rin, Tokoha is, in any situation, so, so, so irritating.

* * *

 

"You got quite tall," Rin tells Tokoha after she came back from college in America some years later.

They meet regularly to fight from then on. At first it's just to spend some time together. They only rarely met at tournaments and while they kept track of the other's deck, it isn't the same as actually fighting each other. Some of the old grudges have been forgotten, while others have gotten stronger during the time they've been apart. If Rin used to be really good before, she got at least ten times better by now. Tokoha has quite a hard time each fight.

Not a single one of their fights can be called casual or just for fun. After one particularly hard fight Rin suggests they should make bets. Tokoha agrees without thinking, her pride still damaged from the fight. She almost had Rin more than once, but Rin was lucky and Tokoha hates nothing more than Rin's dumb luck.

Rin's grin grows wider. The first few fights are about mundane things. If I win you have to pay for lunch. Random things that don't really matter. In the end, losing the bet isn't that much of a punishment for the loser. The frustration of losing still was more important than paying the price.

Until one time, they were at Tokoha's place and it was Rin turn to suggest the price. "I want to cut your hair," she said. Tokoha almost spat the water she was drinking.

"You want what?"

"Huh?" Rin's expression, her disgusting face, showed no emotion. "Is our small princess afraid to lose?"

Tokoha clenched her teeth and shuffled her deck. She knew Rin was just provoking her and yet.

"Oh, shut up and bring it on!"

Not even a two days later, Tokoha is on her way to Rin's place. You two meet each other quite a lot lately, Kumi had told her at school that morning. Could it be you two are friends now?

Tokoha still shudders at the thought. Hashima Rin is a great fighter, sure. There's a lot Tokoha can learn from fighting her. But she's also an awful human being and whenever she has that superior grin on her face, Tokoha just wants to punch her.

We're not friends, she told Kumi. We're, uhm. We're rivals.

It doesn't exactly capture everything about their relationship, Tokoha thinks, but for the lack of a better word, that's what she calls Rin in her mind. Rivals. A word that has a special ring to it, not too familiar, but more than strangers, more than bare acquaintances.

Sure, Tokoha realizes that if it wasn't for her burning hatred for Rin, she wouldn't care so much about their fights. With Rin, it's different from training Vanguard with her brother or her team mates. No matter how much she tries to avoid to admit this, Rin is the only one who got her …. fired up, like Chrono would say. It's easier to learn during a fight she definitely doesn't want to lose, when she tries and struggles as hard as possible. Even though it might seem, what's the word Rin uses again? Unsightly.

Tokoha takes one deep breath before she rings. There's silence for a while and Tokoha wonders if she needs ring the bell again – or if she should just turn around and come back another day. Only then she hears the buzzing sound of the door, snaps back to reality and quickly rushes to lean against the door to open it before it's too late.

As she takes the countless stairs to reach Rin's apartment, Tokoha thinks that Rin probably already waits for her, considering how she didn't ask who is at the door.

"You're slow," Rin shouts from somewhere above. Tokoha grins, doesn't even bother to pick up her pace. It's fun, annoying Rin like this. Because Tokoha knows how Rin loves it to be in control, to have everyone and everything pay attention to her. Letting Hashima Rin wait is the exact opposite of everything she stands for.

Fun, as Tokoha likes to put it.

She smiles as she jumps up the last stairs. Calm, collected and carefully. To look pretty and hopefully make Rin even angrier. But instead of Rin's frown, the only thing that sees Tokoha's wonderful appearance is the opened door. Well, it already seemed to good to be true.

Without a moment of hesitation, Tokoha steps into the apartment. It's not the first time she's here and she knows exactly where to find Rin. She slips out of her shoes and makes her way to where she remembers the kitchen is.

She sees Rin leaning back against the counter, a popsicle in her mouth.

"Hey," Tokoha greets, then waits for Rin to say something.

Though Rin seems to care more about her food. She stays silent and keeps eating. Tokoha sighs and takes a chair to sit down. Watches Rin for a while, until she grows too impatient.

"I'm finally here. Don't you want to get started already?"

"Didn't know you were so keen to do this," Rin replies without bothering to look at Tokoha. She bites the rest of her ice from the stick, before she throws the stick towards Tokoha. "I prepared something for you."

She walks out of the kitchen . Tokoha bites back a spiteful remark and follows Rin out through the hall and into the living room. They have had quite many fights in this room, so Tokoha knows it quite well. A huge room, some expensive looking couches standing around a small glass table in front of a big TV screen. Other than that, there's not really something else in the room.

Though today, there's a make-up stand right in the middle of it. There's a small and low stool in front of it and then another, more comfortable looking chair.

Rin gestures towards the stool. "Feel free to sit down, flower princess."

There's still a chance to turn back, Tokoha thinks. I don't have to do this. She sits down though. Theoretically it's not too late, yeah, but in fact it already is. Because she would never allow herself to back out now. Not when she took the bet willingly. Plus she is definitely not going to run in front of Rin, who seems rather pleased today.

Tokoha sighs one last time before she sits down on the small stool while Rin takes a seat on the chair. The scissors is on the table already. Rin grabs it and immediately cuts off the first strand of hair with such an ease, it's frustrating. Acting like she doesn't care is the only thing Rin's good at it seems. Well, that and Vanguard.

Rin starts with the hair at the back of Tokoha's head. Tokoha can feel how she takes some strands of her hair between her fingers, before she cuts them off. Through the big mirror, Tokoha can't see what exactly Rin is doing. All she can see is Rin's focused gaze as she works. She looks almost as concentrated as she does when they play Vanguard. Just a tad more satisfied maybe. This is her price for beating Tokoha after all.

Meanwhile all Tokoha can do is guess what's happening to her hair. She tries to guess from the way Rin moves, from the way she pulls her hair as she snips off more strands of it. But the more time passes, the more curious Tokoha gets. The moment her hair is cut is the only time she gets an idea on how much Rin cuts. But the seconds are too short and the more she focuses on them, the faster they seem to pass. The more tension builds up inside her.

"Uhm," she hesitates. This is just silly.

"What is it?" Rin sounds impatient. "Talk if you want to say something or just shut up."

Hell, Tokoha sighs again, because sighing seems like the best option right now. Definitely don't pout and just try to look as detached as Rin does, she keeps telling herself. Don't seem weak.

"I want to turn around." She demands and doesn't ask. She doesn't plan on losing here after all.

"Good to know." The scissors keeps moving in her hair. Tokoha bites her lips.

"Wait a minute. I want to see what you're doing."

Rin simply starts to grin. "I won't stop cutting, even if you move."

The finality in her voice is obvious enough to end the discussion. Leaving Tokoha with nothing else to do but fumble with the hem of her skirt. Rin wouldn't even let her move her head to look at the hair at the floor, to get a rough idea on how much Rin cuts off. It builds more and more tension up inside her chest.

She doesn't mind the hair cut per se. In the past few years, she kept going from long hair to short and then back, tried out a huge variety of hair styles, at some point had hair that's even shorter than Tsuneto's. Her hair has the tendency to quickly grow back. Since she is too lazy to regularly cut is, she keeps it rather long, but she doesn't mind short hair, so why, why does she get more and more nervous with every second.

By the time Rin is done with the back of her head, Tokoha's heart beats rapidly, way too fast for someone who does nothing but sit on a chair.

Instead of going on with cutting the hair, Rin pulls out a bonbon out of her pocket. She doesn't ask Tokoha if she wants one, just puts the candy into her own mouth before she leans down to go on and cut the sides.

Now that she can see what Rin does, Tokoha's heart beat calms down. Rin doesn't fumble around much, but cuts the hair almost ruthlessly. The expression on her face looks careful though. She could be rougher, Tokoha thinks. It could be worse.

Rin snips quite a lot hair off, so it's shorter than shoulder length. Not short enough to make her uncomfortable, Tokoha thinks and feels even more relieved.

Time passes more quickly now and soon, Rin stops, signalizes she is done. It's not a bad hair cut, really. Rather cute, Tokoha decides, but still she frowns at Rin and rolls her eyes.

"Took you long enough," she tries to sounds not bothered at all, tries to sound cool.

An attempt to seem cool that is instantly shattered because Rin. Rin just laughs. "Don't try to act all tough on me, princess. You looked quite scared just seconds ago."

* * *

 

Kumi says she looks cute, when they meet on the next day, but then pouts. "You didn't tell me you wanted to get a new haircut."

Tokoha rubs the back of her head and laughs, brushing the comment off. Chrono and Shion, being the type team mates they are, don't mention her new look at all. Shion does seem like he's about to compliment her, but that moment fades away when Chrono simply challenges her to a fight. Neither does her family say anything special.

In the end, it's Akane who notices it. Akane, who only talks to her on the phone or via texts is the one sees it. "You seem different. Tell me, what happened?"

Tokoha isn't sure where to start, so she just starts somewhere in the middle, tells Akane about her new haircut, tells her about Rin. Akane listens to her on the other side of the phone, hums when Tokoha pauses her story to take a breath or just needs the reassuring gesture. Just how she couldn't find the beginning of the story, she's not really sure where to stop, because uhm. How does one explain the person Hashima Rin is with nothing but words?

"You should meet her the next time you're here for a visit. Like, she just gives off the vibes of a person that you want to punch and beat up," Tokoha rambles when Akane starts to laugh.

"I knew you always liked to get into fights, but I can't remember you were that violent."

Tokoha huffs at that. "Well, I'm not the one of us who beat up an upperclassman because I didn't like his guts."

They laugh. It's not bad to exchange stories of their childhood like this. Akane has always seemed to know what's on Tokoha's mind.

Though talking to Akane doesn't stop Rin from being annoying. It's still the same weekend when she meets up with Rin at the card shop. At the sight of Tokoha, the features of Rin's face turn into a grin and ever so casually, she says, "I like how one look at you shows who you belong with."

Tokoha definitely won't lose any other fight to fucking Hashima Rin.


End file.
